The Official Patriots/Broncos Post Game Thread

[BradyFTW!]

Cutting Connelly would save another $2.5M.



That would make it $11.5. Realistically you can add Vince's $7.5 which makes it $19M easily and try to get Vince back at a lower number.



$19M + hopefully something from Hernandez is very workable. Kelly would put it over $20M.

You can cut all those guys, but at some point you're hurting yourself more than you're helping, since you're just creating more holes that require FA dollars to fill.

Also, there won't be any Hernandez cap relief coming in 2014. If there's any to be had, it'll probably be credited later.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Cutting Connelly would save another $2.5M.

That would make it $11.5. Realistically you can add Vince's $7.5 which makes it $19M easily and try to get Vince back at a lower number.

$19M + hopefully something from Hernandez is very workable. Kelly would put it over $20M.

Is there a better guard than Connolly out there for less than 2.5 million though? IMO, he would not be a wise cut. The OL is already thin as it is.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Counting on a 33 year old defensive player coming off a season ending injury is foolish.



In the last two years, the New England Patriots have drafted 11 defensive players:



Defensive Ends - 3

Linebackers - 3

Safeties - 3

Cornerbacks - 2



Notice which defensive position has been ignored in the draft?



http://www.pro-football-reference.c...os=ALL&college_id=all&conference=any&show=all

I agree with the first part, hence my stance on Wilfork. If you are going to make a bet on an aging DT coming off of injury, though, I'd rather make a $2M bet on Kelly than a $7.5M bet on Wilfork.

I agree that DT should be addressed early and often in the draft, though.

 

[ATippett56]

He's a UFA, I don't want him back but he's not in the cap savings discussion.

So what's the solution, two rookie offensive lineman starting next season?

 

[ATippett56]

I agree with the first part, hence my stance on Wilfork. If you are going to make a bet on an aging DT coming off of injury, though, I'd rather make a $2M bet on Kelly than a $7.5M bet on Wilfork.

I agree that DT should be addressed early and often in the draft, though.

Interesting .....

Draft Finder Query Results - Pro-Football-Reference.com

The last time the New England Patriots drafted a defensive tackle was the 7th round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

 

[patsinthesnow]

You can cut all those guys, but at some point you're hurting yourself more than you're helping, since you're just creating more holes that require FA dollars to fill.

Also, there won't be any Hernandez cap relief coming in 2014. If there's any to be had, it'll probably be credited later.

This is a great point, and relates back to Gregory IMO. What safety would be an upgrade over Gregory for 2 million or less? The draft doesn't count, as we can't afford to draft another 1st-2nd round safety IMO.

WalterFootball.com: 2014 NFL Free Agents - Safeties

 

[BradyFTW!]

So what's the solution, two rookie offensive lineman starting next season?

I would keep Connolly as a C (where I actually like him) and draft/sign a RG. I was saying the same thing before this season though, and was surprised that this hasn't already happened.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

That's a great sounding group. Spikes is gone, he was pretty much kicked off the team.

Collins was great today...he was flying around in the first and 2nd...going to be a great player

 

[Deus Irae]

Collins was great today...he was flying around in the first and 2nd...going to be a great player

Collins flashed on a few plays early. After that, he got destroyed out there.

 

[BelichickFan]

Collins was great today...he was flying around in the first and 2nd...going to be a great player

I am clueless why someone would think that's not a good starting 3. Hightower has finally settled in at MLB, Mayo will do his thing at WLB and Collins will go nowhere but up at SLB.

We'll need some backups, of course, but it's a good group of starters.

 

[Sciz]

Collins was great today...he was flying around in the first and 2nd...going to be a great player

It appeared to me that Hightower also played really well, although I don't plan to go back and rematch this game to get a better look at how good players really were...

 

[Deus Irae]

I am clueless why someone would think that's not a good starting 3.

Because I'm not willing to ridiculously overrate Hightower and Collins.

 

[BelichickFan]

Because I'm not willing to ridiculously overrate Hightower and Collins.

To each his own. Hightower was legitimately good the last quarter of the year and Collins should take a huge step up with a full offseason.

Whether you like it or not that's our starters.

 

[Deus Irae]

To each his own. Hightower was legitimately good the last quarter of the year and Collins should take a huge step up with a full offseason.

Whether you like it or not that's our starters.

Then we might as well start looking forward to 2015 right now, because that trio's not getting this team to the promised land in 2014 without one hell of a lot of improvement out of both Collins and Hightower.

 

[ATippett56]

I would keep Connolly as a C (where I actually like him) and draft/sign a RG. I was saying the same thing before this season though, and was surprised that this hasn't already happened.

Or draft a center and keep Connolly at right guard. Either way an offensive lineman needs to addressed in the first four rounds of the 2014 NFL Draft, since it is very unlikely a quality offensive lineman, that will be able to start from Day 1, will be found in the sixth or seventh round of the NFL Draft.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

It appeared to me that Hightower also played really well, although I don't plan to go back and rematch this game to get a better look at how good players really were...

Ya i think he did as well. I really like the LB core. Collins had his coming out party vs colts...and had a decent game today. Pumped to see him next year. Can be a bit time LB in this league

 

[Sparetire]

Im proud of this team. they made it to the AFCCG facing such adversity, thats a great achivmeant and it is a testimony to the greatness of this franchise, starting with Mr. robert kraft down to BB and TFB. congrats to the broncos, they played well.

 

[Fencer]

BB doesn't give a damn about a pass rush, has said so in the past.

If so, why has that never ever been reported in the press, and what's all the big deal about BB/Lawrence Taylor anyway?

 

[Fencer]

Collins/Hightower/Mayo scares the hell out of me.

I think we have a lot of things to worry about more than that trio in base or Mayo/Collins in sub.

 

[TriplecHamp]

Collins flashed on a few plays early. After that, he got destroyed out there.

On specifically what plays did he get "destroyed" on? He like almost every other linebacker in the NFL, has no business playing on Julius Thomas on the outside.

Then we might as well start looking forward to 2015 right now, because that trio's not getting this team to the promised land in 2014 without one hell of a lot of improvement out of both Collins and Hightower.

Collins will naturally improve with time like most players do moving from position to position throughout their football career. I don't see what Hightower lacks on first and 2nd down for him not to be a lock if they decide to put him in the middle or on the strong side. No trio of linbackers takes any team to the promised land. As a unit, they possess a lot more physical talent than any 43 linebacking corps to win the SB in recent memory. IMO the linebacking corps is the last thing we need to worry about defensively with the health issues at corner, the size and production at safety and the depth of our defensive line.